Letter: Priceless Juuls come at a cost to public health

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In Kate Karstens’s article, “Carolina's priceless Juul: UNC study finds e-cigarettes are not as healthy as they seem” she mentions that e-cigarettes are harmful to developing brains. In addition, Karsten garners support from Adam Goldstein’s research study that found that teenagers who used e-cigarettes are more likely to also use regular cigarettes. While I agree that e-cigarettes are a problem facing UNC’s campus, I feel that is important to advocate for legislative change in regards to the use of e-cigarettes in public places.

As mentioned in the article, Juuls are more accessible and are less stigmatized, however, it is important to note that students continue using them in public spaces such as the dining halls since they do not release smoke. This not only allows them to vape more often, but it also subjects others to the vapor that the users exhale, which is inconsiderate and a possible health concern.

Allowing Juuls in public places promotes their usage and can be influential to the youth that tour campus. Just because there isn’t conclusive finalized research out that states the dangers of e-cigarettes doesn’t mean that there shouldn’t be legislation enacted to prevent the exposure of other students what they emit.